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The San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams concluded a wild week six with their Monday Night Football matchup. The Rams were commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the Greatest Show on Turf. Having Kurt Warner must’ve provided Rams quarterback Austin Davis with some sort of added motivation as he was gunning the ball in the first half.

The Rams started the game on fire, with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, using multiple formations, including Tavon Austin, getting carries out of the backfield.  We also finally saw the 2013 Heisman Trophy Finalist Tre Mason, who showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. The Rams running game allowed them to take an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequently, on their next drive, the Rams opened up the offense, with Davis pushing the ball downfield. He was able to find Jared Cook down the seams. This allowed the Rams to exploit some deficiencies in the 49ers weak secondary where Chris Culliver was exploited on an easy touchdown to Lance Kendricks and secure a 14-0 lead.

The 49ers stormed back thanks to Colin Kaepernick narrowly escaping being sacked by the Rams defensive line. Towards the end of the 1st half, Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by Brandon Lloyd, for an 80-yard touchdown and cut Rams lead to 14-10 at the end of the first half. Kaepernick had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 36 passes for and three touchdowns and 343 yards.

In the second half, the 49ers offensive line dominated the Rams defensive front and allowed Kaepernick, who’s been one of the most pressured quarterbacks this season, to carve up the Rams defense. He hit Michael Crabtree on an absolutely beautiful route for a 32 yard touchdown to make it a 24-10 lead. Kaepernick was still passing off his first read, but when you are not pressured (Kaepernick was hit only twice all game), you can get away with being average at reading defenses. Kaepernick continued to make good reads and the Rams inexperienced secondary paired with a lack of pass rush, allowed the 49ers offense to sustain drives easily.

Austin Davis cooled off after a fast start, as Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, as has been the case throughout his entire career as a coordinator, became predictable and complacent with the Rams abandoning the run once they fell down 24-14.

The 49ers played one of their most complete games of the season. Here are the three things we learned

1. Either the 49ers pass protection has finally arrived, or the Rams (and Robert Quinn) are just terrible at rushing the passer this season.

The Rams entered this game with only one sack. Yes, one sack. The team that many thought would have a tremendous defense, with Robert Quinn amassing 19 sacks in 2013, has managed to get to the quarterback only once this year. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been awful protecting Colin Kaepernick for most of the season. Surely, the Rams and especially Quinn, would finally be able to get something going. It didn’t happen. Kaepernick had a clean pocket to throw, the Joe Staley absolutely erased Quinn for the entire game (from my charting, Quinn didn’t even lay a finger on Kaepernick). The Rams have blitzed on nearly half of their passing plays against, coming into the game, but that was a non-factor against San Francisco.

As such, the 49ers had one of their best passing games of the season and Kapernick, looked once more like a quarterback who can play in the pocket.

So to answer the question, is it the Rams who are just that bad at rushing the passer, or has the 49ers offensive line finally emerged as the dominant unit they have been for years. I’m willing to say it is a little bit of both, but regardless, it bodes well for San Francisco going forward.

2. Janoris Jenkins will never be a top-flight corner

Not much more needs to be said here. The 80-yard touchdown he gave up to Brandon Lloyd near the end of the first half is inexcusable. Jenkins has been known to be overly aggressive and bite on pump fakes and double moves, but he has to be more judicious against Lloyd who beat him clean on a stop-and-go route. Especially when defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, inexplicably opted to play ‘zero coverage’ with no safety help in case his corners got beat.

Then, in the third quarter, he got caught looking in the backfield and he completely lost track of Anquan Boldin in the endzone. Yes, amazing throw by Colin Kaepernick, but Jenkins’ coverage was putrid.

The former North Alabama  Lions cornerback showed great potential during his rookie season and already has five career sixes. Those plays look great when the player gambles and is able to make the play, but against the 49ers, Jenkins’ aggressive nature bit him and the Rams square in the ass.

3. 49ers defense is finally hitting stride.

Teams cannot call their defenses world-beaters after shutting down one-dimensional offenses in the Chiefs and Rams on back-to-back weeks, but the 49ers have to be pleased with their last two contests on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers came into their Monday Night tilt against the Rams 16th in team DVOA and 7th in pass-defense DVOA (thanks to the great folks at Football Outsiders),  solid for a unit that is dealing with injuries, in all three levels of their defense. San Francisco gave up 265 total yards last week against the Chiefs and after a rough first quarter, allowed only 216 yards  against the Rams. San Francisco sacked Davis five times and in the second half, completely shut down the Rams attack.

The worry prior to the season was finding replacements for NaVorro Bowman (out at least the first eight weeks with an ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (suspended for the first nine weeks). Then, during the season, Tramaine Brock got hurt and Glenn Dorsey was lost for the season.

Michael Wilhoite, has filled in nicely for Bowman and Dan Skuta recorded two sacks against St. Louis.

In the secondary, Perrish Cox has played brilliantly in his last two games and for most of the season filling in the place of Brock. Against Kansas City, he shined with three tackles, two pass deflections and an interception to seal the game late in the fourth quarter on Alex Smith. Last night against the Rams, he completely shut down Brian Quick, who’s been a force for Austin Davis. Quick entered the game with 21 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns with a 15.2 average yards per reception. Quick was relegated to one catch for 10 yards.

The 49ers are manufacturing pressure with the loss of Smith and Bowman and are  forced to blitz more than their 30th ranking in that department from last season.

The legal process has also allowed Ray McDonald to continue playing, despite a looming domestic violence dispute and he’s been very good as well.

It will be scary to think of how good this defense can be with Aldon and Bowman, as they are still 3rd and 5th against the pass and the run respectively. Vic Fangio deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

The San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams concluded a wild week six with their Monday Night Football matchup. The Rams were commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the Greatest Show on Turf. Having Kurt Warner must’ve provided Rams quarterback Austin Davis with some sort of added motivation as he was gunning the ball in the first half.

The Rams started the game on fire, with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, using multiple formations, including Tavon Austin, getting carries out of the backfield.  We also finally saw the 2013 Heisman Trophy Finalist Tre Mason, who showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. The Rams running game allowed them to take an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequently, on their next drive, the Rams opened up the offense, with Davis pushing the ball downfield. He was able to find Jared Cook down the seams. This allowed the Rams to exploit some deficiencies in the 49ers weak secondary where Chris Culliver was exploited on an easy touchdown to Lance Kendricks and secure a 14-0 lead.

The 49ers stormed back thanks to Colin Kaepernick narrowly escaping being sacked by the Rams defensive line. Towards the end of the 1st half, Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by Brandon Lloyd, for an 80-yard touchdown and cut Rams lead to 14-10 at the end of the first half. Kaepernick had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 36 passes for and three touchdowns and 343 yards.

In the second half, the 49ers offensive line dominated the Rams defensive front and allowed Kaepernick, who’s been one of the most pressured quarterbacks this season, to carve up the Rams defense. He hit Michael Crabtree on an absolutely beautiful route for a 32 yard touchdown to make it a 24-10 lead. Kaepernick was still passing off his first read, but when you are not pressured (Kaepernick was hit only twice all game), you can get away with being average at reading defenses. Kaepernick continued to make good reads and the Rams inexperienced secondary paired with a lack of pass rush, allowed the 49ers offense to sustain drives easily.

Austin Davis cooled off after a fast start, as Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, as has been the case throughout his entire career as a coordinator, became predictable and complacent with the Rams abandoning the run once they fell down 24-14.

The 49ers played one of their most complete games of the season. Here are the three things we learned

1. Either the 49ers pass protection has finally arrived, or the Rams (and Robert Quinn) are just terrible at rushing the passer this season.

The Rams entered this game with only one sack. Yes, one sack. The team that many thought would have a tremendous defense, with Robert Quinn amassing 19 sacks in 2013, has managed to get to the quarterback only once this year. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been awful protecting Colin Kaepernick for most of the season. Surely, the Rams and especially Quinn, would finally be able to get something going. It didn’t happen. Kaepernick had a clean pocket to throw, the Joe Staley absolutely erased Quinn for the entire game (from my charting, Quinn didn’t even lay a finger on Kaepernick). The Rams have blitzed on nearly half of their passing plays against, coming into the game, but that was a non-factor against San Francisco.

As such, the 49ers had one of their best passing games of the season and Kapernick, looked once more like a quarterback who can play in the pocket.

So to answer the question, is it the Rams who are just that bad at rushing the passer, or has the 49ers offensive line finally emerged as the dominant unit they have been for years. I’m willing to say it is a little bit of both, but regardless, it bodes well for San Francisco going forward.

2. Janoris Jenkins will never be a top-flight corner

Not much more needs to be said here. The 80-yard touchdown he gave up to Brandon Lloyd near the end of the first half is inexcusable. Jenkins has been known to be overly aggressive and bite on pump fakes and double moves, but he has to be more judicious against Lloyd who beat him clean on a stop-and-go route. Especially when defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, inexplicably opted to play ‘zero coverage’ with no safety help in case his corners got beat.

Then, in the third quarter, he got caught looking in the backfield and he completely lost track of Anquan Boldin in the endzone. Yes, amazing throw by Colin Kaepernick, but Jenkins’ coverage was putrid.

The former North Alabama  Lions cornerback showed great potential during his rookie season and already has five career sixes. Those plays look great when the player gambles and is able to make the play, but against the 49ers, Jenkins’ aggressive nature bit him and the Rams square in the ass.

3. 49ers defense is finally hitting stride.

Teams cannot call their defenses world-beaters after shutting down one-dimensional offenses in the Chiefs and Rams on back-to-back weeks, but the 49ers have to be pleased with their last two contests on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers came into their Monday Night tilt against the Rams 16th in team DVOA and 7th in pass-defense DVOA (thanks to the great folks at Football Outsiders),  solid for a unit that is dealing with injuries, in all three levels of their defense. San Francisco gave up 265 total yards last week against the Chiefs and after a rough first quarter, allowed only 216 yards  against the Rams. San Francisco sacked Davis five times and in the second half, completely shut down the Rams attack.

The worry prior to the season was finding replacements for NaVorro Bowman (out at least the first eight weeks with an ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (suspended for the first nine weeks). Then, during the season, Tramaine Brock got hurt and Glenn Dorsey was lost for the season.

Michael Wilhoite, has filled in nicely for Bowman and Dan Skuta recorded two sacks against St. Louis.

In the secondary, Perrish Cox has played brilliantly in his last two games and for most of the season filling in the place of Brock. Against Kansas City, he shined with three tackles, two pass deflections and an interception to seal the game late in the fourth quarter on Alex Smith. Last night against the Rams, he completely shut down Brian Quick, who’s been a force for Austin Davis. Quick entered the game with 21 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns with a 15.2 average yards per reception. Quick was relegated to one catch for 10 yards.

The 49ers are manufacturing pressure with the loss of Smith and Bowman and are  forced to blitz more than their 30th ranking in that department from last season.

The legal process has also allowed Ray McDonald to continue playing, despite a looming domestic violence dispute and he’s been very good as well.

It will be scary to think of how good this defense can be with Aldon and Bowman, as they are still 3rd and 5th against the pass and the run respectively. Vic Fangio deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

The San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams concluded a wild week six with their Monday Night Football matchup. The Rams were commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the Greatest Show on Turf. Having Kurt Warner must’ve provided Rams quarterback Austin Davis with some sort of added motivation as he was gunning the ball in the first half.

The Rams started the game on fire, with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, using multiple formations, including Tavon Austin, getting carries out of the backfield.  We also finally saw the 2013 Heisman Trophy Finalist Tre Mason, who showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. The Rams running game allowed them to take an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequently, on their next drive, the Rams opened up the offense, with Davis pushing the ball downfield. He was able to find Jared Cook down the seams. This allowed the Rams to exploit some deficiencies in the 49ers weak secondary where Chris Culliver was exploited on an easy touchdown to Lance Kendricks and secure a 14-0 lead.

The 49ers stormed back thanks to Colin Kaepernick narrowly escaping being sacked by the Rams defensive line. Towards the end of the 1st half, Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by Brandon Lloyd, for an 80-yard touchdown and cut Rams lead to 14-10 at the end of the first half. Kaepernick had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 36 passes for and three touchdowns and 343 yards.

In the second half, the 49ers offensive line dominated the Rams defensive front and allowed Kaepernick, who’s been one of the most pressured quarterbacks this season, to carve up the Rams defense. He hit Michael Crabtree on an absolutely beautiful route for a 32 yard touchdown to make it a 24-10 lead. Kaepernick was still passing off his first read, but when you are not pressured (Kaepernick was hit only twice all game), you can get away with being average at reading defenses. Kaepernick continued to make good reads and the Rams inexperienced secondary paired with a lack of pass rush, allowed the 49ers offense to sustain drives easily.

Austin Davis cooled off after a fast start, as Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, as has been the case throughout his entire career as a coordinator, became predictable and complacent with the Rams abandoning the run once they fell down 24-14.

The 49ers played one of their most complete games of the season. Here are the three things we learned

1. Either the 49ers pass protection has finally arrived, or the Rams (and Robert Quinn) are just terrible at rushing the passer this season.

The Rams entered this game with only one sack. Yes, one sack. The team that many thought would have a tremendous defense, with Robert Quinn amassing 19 sacks in 2013, has managed to get to the quarterback only once this year. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been awful protecting Colin Kaepernick for most of the season. Surely, the Rams and especially Quinn, would finally be able to get something going. It didn’t happen. Kaepernick had a clean pocket to throw, the Joe Staley absolutely erased Quinn for the entire game (from my charting, Quinn didn’t even lay a finger on Kaepernick). The Rams have blitzed on nearly half of their passing plays against, coming into the game, but that was a non-factor against San Francisco.

As such, the 49ers had one of their best passing games of the season and Kapernick, looked once more like a quarterback who can play in the pocket.

So to answer the question, is it the Rams who are just that bad at rushing the passer, or has the 49ers offensive line finally emerged as the dominant unit they have been for years. I’m willing to say it is a little bit of both, but regardless, it bodes well for San Francisco going forward.

2. Janoris Jenkins will never be a top-flight corner

Not much more needs to be said here. The 80-yard touchdown he gave up to Brandon Lloyd near the end of the first half is inexcusable. Jenkins has been known to be overly aggressive and bite on pump fakes and double moves, but he has to be more judicious against Lloyd who beat him clean on a stop-and-go route. Especially when defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, inexplicably opted to play ‘zero coverage’ with no safety help in case his corners got beat.

Then, in the third quarter, he got caught looking in the backfield and he completely lost track of Anquan Boldin in the endzone. Yes, amazing throw by Colin Kaepernick, but Jenkins’ coverage was putrid.

The former North Alabama  Lions cornerback showed great potential during his rookie season and already has five career sixes. Those plays look great when the player gambles and is able to make the play, but against the 49ers, Jenkins’ aggressive nature bit him and the Rams square in the ass.

3. 49ers defense is finally hitting stride.

Teams cannot call their defenses world-beaters after shutting down one-dimensional offenses in the Chiefs and Rams on back-to-back weeks, but the 49ers have to be pleased with their last two contests on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers came into their Monday Night tilt against the Rams 16th in team DVOA and 7th in pass-defense DVOA (thanks to the great folks at Football Outsiders),  solid for a unit that is dealing with injuries, in all three levels of their defense. San Francisco gave up 265 total yards last week against the Chiefs and after a rough first quarter, allowed only 216 yards  against the Rams. San Francisco sacked Davis five times and in the second half, completely shut down the Rams attack.

The worry prior to the season was finding replacements for NaVorro Bowman (out at least the first eight weeks with an ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (suspended for the first nine weeks). Then, during the season, Tramaine Brock got hurt and Glenn Dorsey was lost for the season.

Michael Wilhoite, has filled in nicely for Bowman and Dan Skuta recorded two sacks against St. Louis.

In the secondary, Perrish Cox has played brilliantly in his last two games and for most of the season filling in the place of Brock. Against Kansas City, he shined with three tackles, two pass deflections and an interception to seal the game late in the fourth quarter on Alex Smith. Last night against the Rams, he completely shut down Brian Quick, who’s been a force for Austin Davis. Quick entered the game with 21 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns with a 15.2 average yards per reception. Quick was relegated to one catch for 10 yards.

The 49ers are manufacturing pressure with the loss of Smith and Bowman and are  forced to blitz more than their 30th ranking in that department from last season.

The legal process has also allowed Ray McDonald to continue playing, despite a looming domestic violence dispute and he’s been very good as well.

It will be scary to think of how good this defense can be with Aldon and Bowman, as they are still 3rd and 5th against the pass and the run respectively. Vic Fangio deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

The San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams concluded a wild week six with their Monday Night Football matchup. The Rams were commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the Greatest Show on Turf. Having Kurt Warner must’ve provided Rams quarterback Austin Davis with some sort of added motivation as he was gunning the ball in the first half.

The Rams started the game on fire, with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, using multiple formations, including Tavon Austin, getting carries out of the backfield.  We also finally saw the 2013 Heisman Trophy Finalist Tre Mason, who showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. The Rams running game allowed them to take an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequently, on their next drive, the Rams opened up the offense, with Davis pushing the ball downfield. He was able to find Jared Cook down the seams. This allowed the Rams to exploit some deficiencies in the 49ers weak secondary where Chris Culliver was exploited on an easy touchdown to Lance Kendricks and secure a 14-0 lead.

The 49ers stormed back thanks to Colin Kaepernick narrowly escaping being sacked by the Rams defensive line. Towards the end of the 1st half, Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by Brandon Lloyd, for an 80-yard touchdown and cut Rams lead to 14-10 at the end of the first half. Kaepernick had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 36 passes for and three touchdowns and 343 yards.

In the second half, the 49ers offensive line dominated the Rams defensive front and allowed Kaepernick, who’s been one of the most pressured quarterbacks this season, to carve up the Rams defense. He hit Michael Crabtree on an absolutely beautiful route for a 32 yard touchdown to make it a 24-10 lead. Kaepernick was still passing off his first read, but when you are not pressured (Kaepernick was hit only twice all game), you can get away with being average at reading defenses. Kaepernick continued to make good reads and the Rams inexperienced secondary paired with a lack of pass rush, allowed the 49ers offense to sustain drives easily.

Austin Davis cooled off after a fast start, as Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, as has been the case throughout his entire career as a coordinator, became predictable and complacent with the Rams abandoning the run once they fell down 24-14.

The 49ers played one of their most complete games of the season. Here are the three things we learned

1. Either the 49ers pass protection has finally arrived, or the Rams (and Robert Quinn) are just terrible at rushing the passer this season.

The Rams entered this game with only one sack. Yes, one sack. The team that many thought would have a tremendous defense, with Robert Quinn amassing 19 sacks in 2013, has managed to get to the quarterback only once this year. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been awful protecting Colin Kaepernick for most of the season. Surely, the Rams and especially Quinn, would finally be able to get something going. It didn’t happen. Kaepernick had a clean pocket to throw, the Joe Staley absolutely erased Quinn for the entire game (from my charting, Quinn didn’t even lay a finger on Kaepernick). The Rams have blitzed on nearly half of their passing plays against, coming into the game, but that was a non-factor against San Francisco.

As such, the 49ers had one of their best passing games of the season and Kapernick, looked once more like a quarterback who can play in the pocket.

So to answer the question, is it the Rams who are just that bad at rushing the passer, or has the 49ers offensive line finally emerged as the dominant unit they have been for years. I’m willing to say it is a little bit of both, but regardless, it bodes well for San Francisco going forward.

2. Janoris Jenkins will never be a top-flight corner

Not much more needs to be said here. The 80-yard touchdown he gave up to Brandon Lloyd near the end of the first half is inexcusable. Jenkins has been known to be overly aggressive and bite on pump fakes and double moves, but he has to be more judicious against Lloyd who beat him clean on a stop-and-go route. Especially when defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, inexplicably opted to play ‘zero coverage’ with no safety help in case his corners got beat.

Then, in the third quarter, he got caught looking in the backfield and he completely lost track of Anquan Boldin in the endzone. Yes, amazing throw by Colin Kaepernick, but Jenkins’ coverage was putrid.

The former North Alabama  Lions cornerback showed great potential during his rookie season and already has five career sixes. Those plays look great when the player gambles and is able to make the play, but against the 49ers, Jenkins’ aggressive nature bit him and the Rams square in the ass.

3. 49ers defense is finally hitting stride.

Teams cannot call their defenses world-beaters after shutting down one-dimensional offenses in the Chiefs and Rams on back-to-back weeks, but the 49ers have to be pleased with their last two contests on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers came into their Monday Night tilt against the Rams 16th in team DVOA and 7th in pass-defense DVOA (thanks to the great folks at Football Outsiders),  solid for a unit that is dealing with injuries, in all three levels of their defense. San Francisco gave up 265 total yards last week against the Chiefs and after a rough first quarter, allowed only 216 yards  against the Rams. San Francisco sacked Davis five times and in the second half, completely shut down the Rams attack.

The worry prior to the season was finding replacements for NaVorro Bowman (out at least the first eight weeks with an ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (suspended for the first nine weeks). Then, during the season, Tramaine Brock got hurt and Glenn Dorsey was lost for the season.

Michael Wilhoite, has filled in nicely for Bowman and Dan Skuta recorded two sacks against St. Louis.

In the secondary, Perrish Cox has played brilliantly in his last two games and for most of the season filling in the place of Brock. Against Kansas City, he shined with three tackles, two pass deflections and an interception to seal the game late in the fourth quarter on Alex Smith. Last night against the Rams, he completely shut down Brian Quick, who’s been a force for Austin Davis. Quick entered the game with 21 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns with a 15.2 average yards per reception. Quick was relegated to one catch for 10 yards.

The 49ers are manufacturing pressure with the loss of Smith and Bowman and are  forced to blitz more than their 30th ranking in that department from last season.

The legal process has also allowed Ray McDonald to continue playing, despite a looming domestic violence dispute and he’s been very good as well.

It will be scary to think of how good this defense can be with Aldon and Bowman, as they are still 3rd and 5th against the pass and the run respectively. Vic Fangio deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

The San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams concluded a wild week six with their Monday Night Football matchup. The Rams were commemorating the 15 year anniversary of the Greatest Show on Turf. Having Kurt Warner must’ve provided Rams quarterback Austin Davis with some sort of added motivation as he was gunning the ball in the first half.

The Rams started the game on fire, with offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, using multiple formations, including Tavon Austin, getting carries out of the backfield.  We also finally saw the 2013 Heisman Trophy Finalist Tre Mason, who showed some explosiveness out of the backfield. The Rams running game allowed them to take an early 7-0 lead.

Subsequently, on their next drive, the Rams opened up the offense, with Davis pushing the ball downfield. He was able to find Jared Cook down the seams. This allowed the Rams to exploit some deficiencies in the 49ers weak secondary where Chris Culliver was exploited on an easy touchdown to Lance Kendricks and secure a 14-0 lead.

The 49ers stormed back thanks to Colin Kaepernick narrowly escaping being sacked by the Rams defensive line. Towards the end of the 1st half, Janoris Jenkins bit on a double move by Brandon Lloyd, for an 80-yard touchdown and cut Rams lead to 14-10 at the end of the first half. Kaepernick had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 36 passes for and three touchdowns and 343 yards.

In the second half, the 49ers offensive line dominated the Rams defensive front and allowed Kaepernick, who’s been one of the most pressured quarterbacks this season, to carve up the Rams defense. He hit Michael Crabtree on an absolutely beautiful route for a 32 yard touchdown to make it a 24-10 lead. Kaepernick was still passing off his first read, but when you are not pressured (Kaepernick was hit only twice all game), you can get away with being average at reading defenses. Kaepernick continued to make good reads and the Rams inexperienced secondary paired with a lack of pass rush, allowed the 49ers offense to sustain drives easily.

Austin Davis cooled off after a fast start, as Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, as has been the case throughout his entire career as a coordinator, became predictable and complacent with the Rams abandoning the run once they fell down 24-14.

The 49ers played one of their most complete games of the season. Here are the three things we learned

1. Either the 49ers pass protection has finally arrived, or the Rams (and Robert Quinn) are just terrible at rushing the passer this season.

The Rams entered this game with only one sack. Yes, one sack. The team that many thought would have a tremendous defense, with Robert Quinn amassing 19 sacks in 2013, has managed to get to the quarterback only once this year. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been awful protecting Colin Kaepernick for most of the season. Surely, the Rams and especially Quinn, would finally be able to get something going. It didn’t happen. Kaepernick had a clean pocket to throw, the Joe Staley absolutely erased Quinn for the entire game (from my charting, Quinn didn’t even lay a finger on Kaepernick). The Rams have blitzed on nearly half of their passing plays against, coming into the game, but that was a non-factor against San Francisco.

As such, the 49ers had one of their best passing games of the season and Kapernick, looked once more like a quarterback who can play in the pocket.

So to answer the question, is it the Rams who are just that bad at rushing the passer, or has the 49ers offensive line finally emerged as the dominant unit they have been for years. I’m willing to say it is a little bit of both, but regardless, it bodes well for San Francisco going forward.

2. Janoris Jenkins will never be a top-flight corner

Not much more needs to be said here. The 80-yard touchdown he gave up to Brandon Lloyd near the end of the first half is inexcusable. Jenkins has been known to be overly aggressive and bite on pump fakes and double moves, but he has to be more judicious against Lloyd who beat him clean on a stop-and-go route. Especially when defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, inexplicably opted to play ‘zero coverage’ with no safety help in case his corners got beat.

Then, in the third quarter, he got caught looking in the backfield and he completely lost track of Anquan Boldin in the endzone. Yes, amazing throw by Colin Kaepernick, but Jenkins’ coverage was putrid.

The former North Alabama  Lions cornerback showed great potential during his rookie season and already has five career sixes. Those plays look great when the player gambles and is able to make the play, but against the 49ers, Jenkins’ aggressive nature bit him and the Rams square in the ass.

3. 49ers defense is finally hitting stride.

Teams cannot call their defenses world-beaters after shutting down one-dimensional offenses in the Chiefs and Rams on back-to-back weeks, but the 49ers have to be pleased with their last two contests on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers came into their Monday Night tilt against the Rams 16th in team DVOA and 7th in pass-defense DVOA (thanks to the great folks at Football Outsiders),  solid for a unit that is dealing with injuries, in all three levels of their defense. San Francisco gave up 265 total yards last week against the Chiefs and after a rough first quarter, allowed only 216 yards  against the Rams. San Francisco sacked Davis five times and in the second half, completely shut down the Rams attack.

The worry prior to the season was finding replacements for NaVorro Bowman (out at least the first eight weeks with an ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (suspended for the first nine weeks). Then, during the season, Tramaine Brock got hurt and Glenn Dorsey was lost for the season.

Michael Wilhoite, has filled in nicely for Bowman and Dan Skuta recorded two sacks against St. Louis.

In the secondary, Perrish Cox has played brilliantly in his last two games and for most of the season filling in the place of Brock. Against Kansas City, he shined with three tackles, two pass deflections and an interception to seal the game late in the fourth quarter on Alex Smith. Last night against the Rams, he completely shut down Brian Quick, who’s been a force for Austin Davis. Quick entered the game with 21 catches, 322 yards and three touchdowns with a 15.2 average yards per reception. Quick was relegated to one catch for 10 yards.

The 49ers are manufacturing pressure with the loss of Smith and Bowman and are  forced to blitz more than their 30th ranking in that department from last season.

The legal process has also allowed Ray McDonald to continue playing, despite a looming domestic violence dispute and he’s been very good as well.

It will be scary to think of how good this defense can be with Aldon and Bowman, as they are still 3rd and 5th against the pass and the run respectively. Vic Fangio deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

The battle on Friday night between the 25^th ranked Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars was a test of wills; in the end, the Cardinal had the stronger resolve as they toppled the Cougars 34-17.

The Washington State Cougars came to Palo Alto, CA with their “Air Raid” offense led by Senior Connor Halliday.  Last weekend, Halliday threw for an NCAA record 734 yards.  This weekend was a different story as the Cougars were outgained by the Cardinal 477 to 266 yards from scrimmage on Friday night, and were held to season low totals in passing and rushing.  The Cougars were stymied by the vaunted Cardinal defense, and just never seemed to get into a rhythm throughout the game. 

Stanford came into the contest suffering a heartbreaking loss last weekend to Notre Dame, and looked to prove that last week was history.  The Cardinal came out strong on both sides of the ball on Friday night and proved that they are still hungry for a possible PAC 12 title.

Here was the Good, Bad, and Ugly from the game:

Good

Zach Hoffpauir – Stanford’s multi-sport star had his best game of the year as he led the Cardinal with 15 tackles, and was dominant in the disrupting the Cougars passing game. The Junior Strong Safety seemed to be in on every play, and was key to the Cardinal success on the Defensive side of the ball. 

David Parry – The Senior Nose Tackle for Stanford was a stalwart along the defensive front registering a sack and 4 hurries on Cougars Quarterback Connor Halliday.  Parry was shedding the Cougars blockers with ease, and was a force to be reckoned with along the line.  Parry is fast making a name for himself as a top prospect for the next level with his constant motor, and his ability to make the big play.

Stanford Running Backs – This week was a completely different story for the Cardinal rushing attack as the three headed monster of Remound Wright, Barry Sanders, and Christian McCaffrey put in a tremendous performance as they rushed for a combined 195 yards from scrimmage.  After the game, Stanford Coach Shaw praised the work of his runners not only with their yardage totals, but their blocking and protection of Quarterback Kevin Hogan as that had been a main concern for the Cardinal early in the season.  If Stanford is able to get their running game off the ground, they will be very successful for the rest of the season.

Cougars Defensive Front Seven – Washington State was embarrassed last weekend at home against Cal as they gave up 70 points and 589 yards of offense.  This week, the Cougars made a concerted effort to try and attack Stanford Quarterback Kevin Hogan, and were able to put in a much better showing in comparison to last week.  The Cougars played physical up front, and pressured the Cardinal the entire game.  The Cougars will need to keep this style of play if they are to have any chance the rest of this season.

Bad

Stanford Red Zone Struggles – This is becoming a broken record as Stanford again had struggles in the Red Zone.  Again, Stanford had multiple opportunities to put points on the board against the Cougars and came up empty.  On the first drive of the game, they drove to the 3-yard line, and were unable to cross the goal line.  Another drive, Senior Patrick Skov tried to reach the ball across the plain and fumbled the ball at the goal line.  A third and most frustrating Red Zone possession was at the end of the half, the Cardinal had two holding penalties, and another wide right field goal attempt that left the Cardinal with zero points.  The statistics show that a team should score at least 3 points on every red zone trip, and score a touchdown 2 out of every 3 times in the zone.  The Cardinal are well below the average, and will need to shore this up for future games. 

Penalties – Stanford and Washington State committed several egregious penalties that just destroyed attempts at moving the ball and creating any sense of rhythm.  Stanford had several drives halted due to holding penalties, and even lost points off the board due to several brain freeze penalties.  Washington State also had several penalties that just backed the team out from scoring position, and were never able to recover.  After the game, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw pointed out that penalties are something that can be fixed, and will be addressed by the team prior to next weeks contest against Arizona State.

Ugly

Washington State Special Teams – After last week’s Special Teams debacle by the Cougars, Head Coach Mike Leach dismissed his Special Teams Coordinator, and placed assistant Eric Mele in charge.  This week was not any better as the Cougars play on special teams was just as dreadful.  There were several penalties, punts were not covered well, two kickoffs went extremely short, and Stanford playmaker Ty Montgomery was just one step away from breaking for a touchdown on two separate returns.  The only bright spot was Cougars Place Kicker Quentin Breshears made a 46-yard field goal that was not even defended by the Stanford Defense.  The Cougars are well aware that their Special Teams play is putting them in a hole, and there is no light at the end of this tunnel. 

The battle on Friday night between the 25^th ranked Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars was a test of wills; in the end, the Cardinal had the stronger resolve as they toppled the Cougars 34-17.

The Washington State Cougars came to Palo Alto, CA with their “Air Raid” offense led by Senior Connor Halliday.  Last weekend, Halliday threw for an NCAA record 734 yards.  This weekend was a different story as the Cougars were outgained by the Cardinal 477 to 266 yards from scrimmage on Friday night, and were held to season low totals in passing and rushing.  The Cougars were stymied by the vaunted Cardinal defense, and just never seemed to get into a rhythm throughout the game. 

Stanford came into the contest suffering a heartbreaking loss last weekend to Notre Dame, and looked to prove that last week was history.  The Cardinal came out strong on both sides of the ball on Friday night and proved that they are still hungry for a possible PAC 12 title.

Here was the Good, Bad, and Ugly from the game:

Good

Zach Hoffpauir – Stanford’s multi-sport star had his best game of the year as he led the Cardinal with 15 tackles, and was dominant in the disrupting the Cougars passing game. The Junior Strong Safety seemed to be in on every play, and was key to the Cardinal success on the Defensive side of the ball. 

David Parry – The Senior Nose Tackle for Stanford was a stalwart along the defensive front registering a sack and 4 hurries on Cougars Quarterback Connor Halliday.  Parry was shedding the Cougars blockers with ease, and was a force to be reckoned with along the line.  Parry is fast making a name for himself as a top prospect for the next level with his constant motor, and his ability to make the big play.

Stanford Running Backs – This week was a completely different story for the Cardinal rushing attack as the three headed monster of Remound Wright, Barry Sanders, and Christian McCaffrey put in a tremendous performance as they rushed for a combined 195 yards from scrimmage.  After the game, Stanford Coach Shaw praised the work of his runners not only with their yardage totals, but their blocking and protection of Quarterback Kevin Hogan as that had been a main concern for the Cardinal early in the season.  If Stanford is able to get their running game off the ground, they will be very successful for the rest of the season.

Cougars Defensive Front Seven – Washington State was embarrassed last weekend at home against Cal as they gave up 70 points and 589 yards of offense.  This week, the Cougars made a concerted effort to try and attack Stanford Quarterback Kevin Hogan, and were able to put in a much better showing in comparison to last week.  The Cougars played physical up front, and pressured the Cardinal the entire game.  The Cougars will need to keep this style of play if they are to have any chance the rest of this season.

Bad

Stanford Red Zone Struggles – This is becoming a broken record as Stanford again had struggles in the Red Zone.  Again, Stanford had multiple opportunities to put points on the board against the Cougars and came up empty.  On the first drive of the game, they drove to the 3-yard line, and were unable to cross the goal line.  Another drive, Senior Patrick Skov tried to reach the ball across the plain and fumbled the ball at the goal line.  A third and most frustrating Red Zone possession was at the end of the half, the Cardinal had two holding penalties, and another wide right field goal attempt that left the Cardinal with zero points.  The statistics show that a team should score at least 3 points on every red zone trip, and score a touchdown 2 out of every 3 times in the zone.  The Cardinal are well below the average, and will need to shore this up for future games. 

Penalties – Stanford and Washington State committed several egregious penalties that just destroyed attempts at moving the ball and creating any sense of rhythm.  Stanford had several drives halted due to holding penalties, and even lost points off the board due to several brain freeze penalties.  Washington State also had several penalties that just backed the team out from scoring position, and were never able to recover.  After the game, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw pointed out that penalties are something that can be fixed, and will be addressed by the team prior to next weeks contest against Arizona State.

Ugly

Washington State Special Teams – After last week’s Special Teams debacle by the Cougars, Head Coach Mike Leach dismissed his Special Teams Coordinator, and placed assistant Eric Mele in charge.  This week was not any better as the Cougars play on special teams was just as dreadful.  There were several penalties, punts were not covered well, two kickoffs went extremely short, and Stanford playmaker Ty Montgomery was just one step away from breaking for a touchdown on two separate returns.  The only bright spot was Cougars Place Kicker Quentin Breshears made a 46-yard field goal that was not even defended by the Stanford Defense.  The Cougars are well aware that their Special Teams play is putting them in a hole, and there is no light at the end of this tunnel. 

The battle on Friday night between the 25^th ranked Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars was a test of wills; in the end, the Cardinal had the stronger resolve as they toppled the Cougars 34-17.

The Washington State Cougars came to Palo Alto, CA with their “Air Raid” offense led by Senior Connor Halliday.  Last weekend, Halliday threw for an NCAA record 734 yards.  This weekend was a different story as the Cougars were outgained by the Cardinal 477 to 266 yards from scrimmage on Friday night, and were held to season low totals in passing and rushing.  The Cougars were stymied by the vaunted Cardinal defense, and just never seemed to get into a rhythm throughout the game. 

Stanford came into the contest suffering a heartbreaking loss last weekend to Notre Dame, and looked to prove that last week was history.  The Cardinal came out strong on both sides of the ball on Friday night and proved that they are still hungry for a possible PAC 12 title.

Here was the Good, Bad, and Ugly from the game:

Good

Zach Hoffpauir – Stanford’s multi-sport star had his best game of the year as he led the Cardinal with 15 tackles, and was dominant in the disrupting the Cougars passing game. The Junior Strong Safety seemed to be in on every play, and was key to the Cardinal success on the Defensive side of the ball. 

David Parry – The Senior Nose Tackle for Stanford was a stalwart along the defensive front registering a sack and 4 hurries on Cougars Quarterback Connor Halliday.  Parry was shedding the Cougars blockers with ease, and was a force to be reckoned with along the line.  Parry is fast making a name for himself as a top prospect for the next level with his constant motor, and his ability to make the big play.

Stanford Running Backs – This week was a completely different story for the Cardinal rushing attack as the three headed monster of Remound Wright, Barry Sanders, and Christian McCaffrey put in a tremendous performance as they rushed for a combined 195 yards from scrimmage.  After the game, Stanford Coach Shaw praised the work of his runners not only with their yardage totals, but their blocking and protection of Quarterback Kevin Hogan as that had been a main concern for the Cardinal early in the season.  If Stanford is able to get their running game off the ground, they will be very successful for the rest of the season.

Cougars Defensive Front Seven – Washington State was embarrassed last weekend at home against Cal as they gave up 70 points and 589 yards of offense.  This week, the Cougars made a concerted effort to try and attack Stanford Quarterback Kevin Hogan, and were able to put in a much better showing in comparison to last week.  The Cougars played physical up front, and pressured the Cardinal the entire game.  The Cougars will need to keep this style of play if they are to have any chance the rest of this season.

Bad

Stanford Red Zone Struggles – This is becoming a broken record as Stanford again had struggles in the Red Zone.  Again, Stanford had multiple opportunities to put points on the board against the Cougars and came up empty.  On the first drive of the game, they drove to the 3-yard line, and were unable to cross the goal line.  Another drive, Senior Patrick Skov tried to reach the ball across the plain and fumbled the ball at the goal line.  A third and most frustrating Red Zone possession was at the end of the half, the Cardinal had two holding penalties, and another wide right field goal attempt that left the Cardinal with zero points.  The statistics show that a team should score at least 3 points on every red zone trip, and score a touchdown 2 out of every 3 times in the zone.  The Cardinal are well below the average, and will need to shore this up for future games. 

Penalties – Stanford and Washington State committed several egregious penalties that just destroyed attempts at moving the ball and creating any sense of rhythm.  Stanford had several drives halted due to holding penalties, and even lost points off the board due to several brain freeze penalties.  Washington State also had several penalties that just backed the team out from scoring position, and were never able to recover.  After the game, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw pointed out that penalties are something that can be fixed, and will be addressed by the team prior to next weeks contest against Arizona State.

Ugly

Washington State Special Teams – After last week’s Special Teams debacle by the Cougars, Head Coach Mike Leach dismissed his Special Teams Coordinator, and placed assistant Eric Mele in charge.  This week was not any better as the Cougars play on special teams was just as dreadful.  There were several penalties, punts were not covered well, two kickoffs went extremely short, and Stanford playmaker Ty Montgomery was just one step away from breaking for a touchdown on two separate returns.  The only bright spot was Cougars Place Kicker Quentin Breshears made a 46-yard field goal that was not even defended by the Stanford Defense.  The Cougars are well aware that their Special Teams play is putting them in a hole, and there is no light at the end of this tunnel. 

The battle on Friday night between the 25^th ranked Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars was a test of wills; in the end, the Cardinal had the stronger resolve as they toppled the Cougars 34-17.

The Washington State Cougars came to Palo Alto, CA with their “Air Raid” offense led by Senior Connor Halliday.  Last weekend, Halliday threw for an NCAA record 734 yards.  This weekend was a different story as the Cougars were outgained by the Cardinal 477 to 266 yards from scrimmage on Friday night, and were held to season low totals in passing and rushing.  The Cougars were stymied by the vaunted Cardinal defense, and just never seemed to get into a rhythm throughout the game. 

Stanford came into the contest suffering a heartbreaking loss last weekend to Notre Dame, and looked to prove that last week was history.  The Cardinal came out strong on both sides of the ball on Friday night and proved that they are still hungry for a possible PAC 12 title.

Here was the Good, Bad, and Ugly from the game:

Good

Zach Hoffpauir – Stanford’s multi-sport star had his best game of the year as he led the Cardinal with 15 tackles, and was dominant in the disrupting the Cougars passing game. The Junior Strong Safety seemed to be in on every play, and was key to the Cardinal success on the Defensive side of the ball. 

David Parry – The Senior Nose Tackle for Stanford was a stalwart along the defensive front registering a sack and 4 hurries on Cougars Quarterback Connor Halliday.  Parry was shedding the Cougars blockers with ease, and was a force to be reckoned with along the line.  Parry is fast making a name for himself as a top prospect for the next level with his constant motor, and his ability to make the big play.

Stanford Running Backs – This week was a completely different story for the Cardinal rushing attack as the three headed monster of Remound Wright, Barry Sanders, and Christian McCaffrey put in a tremendous performance as they rushed for a combined 195 yards from scrimmage.  After the game, Stanford Coach Shaw praised the work of his runners not only with their yardage totals, but their blocking and protection of Quarterback Kevin Hogan as that had been a main concern for the Cardinal early in the season.  If Stanford is able to get their running game off the ground, they will be very successful for the rest of the season.

Cougars Defensive Front Seven – Washington State was embarrassed last weekend at home against Cal as they gave up 70 points and 589 yards of offense.  This week, the Cougars made a concerted effort to try and attack Stanford Quarterback Kevin Hogan, and were able to put in a much better showing in comparison to last week.  The Cougars played physical up front, and pressured the Cardinal the entire game.  The Cougars will need to keep this style of play if they are to have any chance the rest of this season.

Bad

Stanford Red Zone Struggles – This is becoming a broken record as Stanford again had struggles in the Red Zone.  Again, Stanford had multiple opportunities to put points on the board against the Cougars and came up empty.  On the first drive of the game, they drove to the 3-yard line, and were unable to cross the goal line.  Another drive, Senior Patrick Skov tried to reach the ball across the plain and fumbled the ball at the goal line.  A third and most frustrating Red Zone possession was at the end of the half, the Cardinal had two holding penalties, and another wide right field goal attempt that left the Cardinal with zero points.  The statistics show that a team should score at least 3 points on every red zone trip, and score a touchdown 2 out of every 3 times in the zone.  The Cardinal are well below the average, and will need to shore this up for future games. 

Penalties – Stanford and Washington State committed several egregious penalties that just destroyed attempts at moving the ball and creating any sense of rhythm.  Stanford had several drives halted due to holding penalties, and even lost points off the board due to several brain freeze penalties.  Washington State also had several penalties that just backed the team out from scoring position, and were never able to recover.  After the game, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw pointed out that penalties are something that can be fixed, and will be addressed by the team prior to next weeks contest against Arizona State.

Ugly

Washington State Special Teams – After last week’s Special Teams debacle by the Cougars, Head Coach Mike Leach dismissed his Special Teams Coordinator, and placed assistant Eric Mele in charge.  This week was not any better as the Cougars play on special teams was just as dreadful.  There were several penalties, punts were not covered well, two kickoffs went extremely short, and Stanford playmaker Ty Montgomery was just one step away from breaking for a touchdown on two separate returns.  The only bright spot was Cougars Place Kicker Quentin Breshears made a 46-yard field goal that was not even defended by the Stanford Defense.  The Cougars are well aware that their Special Teams play is putting them in a hole, and there is no light at the end of this tunnel.